A work from Perry House's "Happyville" series.

It's not often that an artist gets an opportunity to collect his or her work of the past quarter-century and hang the output on a gallery wall.

Along with an art exhibit, there's another reward that happens before the pieces are hung just right on a freshly hammered nail. Specifically, an opportunity for a creative type to see how his or her style has grown, changed and shifted over the years.

This applies to Houston artist veteran Perry House, whose "Elegance/Violence" exhibit opens to the public next month at Art Car Museum.

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Photo by Simon Gentry

"Christa Monster" at work at The Photo Booth on Montrose

You may have seen Christa Havican shaking cocktails at Kata Robata or competing in local cocktail competitions, but that's not all she does. She's also the artist known as "Christa Monster" in-residence at The Photobooth on Montrose, a combination photo studio, art gallery and performance space established by photographer Simon Gentry.

Photo by Christa Havican

One of several "spirit creatures" that are available for bidding

Over the past few weeks, Christa has been working on an installation called "Once We Were Wild--A Spirit Animal Series", a selection of ridiculously cute creatures on two legs and garbed in people-clothes. If you see "The Monster is In" sign on the door, it means Christa is creating more of the little beasts.

How did a bartender end up with a dual career as an artist? "I began dabbling with art as early as I can remember," said Christa. "I would always bring home stacks of paintings and drawings from school, and when asked what I wanted to be when I got older, my response was an artist or performer. Everyone in my family is involved in some form of art, so it has always been a part of me--so much so that I decided to continue my education in fine art from University of Houston.

Photo by Christa Havican

The very fashionable Ms. Fox will be available at Friday's reception

Christa hopes that the Shrinky Dink®-like creatures will demonstrate that some art is meant to be interactive and fun, for adults and children alike. The cute creatures are touchable and durable.

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A work by Ted Closson

One has been contributing to Houston's potent art scene for years with his mixed-media surprises. Another is soon off for the Pacific Northwest, where he hopes to put the finishing touches on a graphic novel.

Chuck Ivy and Ted Closson are two University of Houston artists who will be exhibiting works at the "2012 MFA Thesis Exhibition." In all, 11 about-to-graduate Master of Fine Arts students will be showing off their talents at DiverseWorks for the two-week show. (Yes, DiverseWorks, because UH's Blaffer Art Museum is still undergoing a massive renovation.)

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photo courtesy of DiverseWorks

A scene from last year's "Luck of the Draw."

Elizabeth Dunbar, who was recently hired as the executive director of DiverseWorks ArtSpace, is making things happen at her new post.

Along with creating new jobs at one of Houston's top art venues, the former associate director/chief curator at Austin's Arthouse has made some hefty changes to its annual fundraising event, "Luck of the Draw."

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photo by Marc Brubaker

Daniel Johnston

For a self-proclaimed newbie gallerist, Randall Kallinen, a local civil rights attorney, isn't messing around with this weekend's grand opening of Kallinen Contemporary.

Along with showcasing the work of more than 20 artists in a space that's fall-on-the-floor beautiful, Daniel Johnston -- yes, "the Daniel Johnston," Kallinen tells Art Attack -- will be signing copies of his Space Ducks comic book and performing a short concert.

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Photo by Robb Kendrick

Imagine you have just been transported to the wild west of the 1800s. You stumble upon gritty images of broken-down cowboys, dusty trails and corrals of horses. In reality, you have just walked through the doors of the William Reaves Fine Art gallery and into the world of photographer Robb Kendrick. "The Cowboy Spirit: Faces of the American West" is the gallery's current collection, featuring photographs dedicated to the lives of the American West. Each of the multitude of images tells a story, most profiles of cowboys, with various scenic shots of ranch life sprinkled in.

The portraits are nothing less than stunning. You may find yourself staring into the eyes of a young boy in a beat-up, ten-gallon hat for more time than feels comfortable, but it is too difficult to turn away from him. A wiry old cowboy with a thick mustache conjures feelings of a lost generation, desperate to remain relevant. The wrinkles under his eyes are deep and cracked from years of living an SPF-free lifestyle.

Photo by Robb Kendrick

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Norma by Sandy Sussman

Just in time for the Oscars, the Koelsch Gallery's current exhibition, "lights, camera, action," captures the varied nuances that comprise America's beloved La La Land. The collection of work features several noted local artists such as Claire Cusack, Matt Duffin, Cisco Tucker Kolkmeier and Vanessa Estrada, as well many others that Koelsch has recruited from across the country. As the show's name indicates, the collection of work, while varied in medium, technique and style, all falls under the umbrella of "Hollywood."

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Artwork by Magda Boltz-Wilson

Magda Boltz-Wilson's current collection, "Berlin, Potsdamer Platz" at Redbud Gallery, is an abstract succession of block prints, some monotone, others with striking swipes of colors. The work reflects the sea of change that the country went through.

Potsdamer Platz is one of the most noted intersections in Germany. It has been at the center of decades of history for the country, from its total destruction after the Second World War, to its literal divide when the Berlin Wall was erected, to its becoming a pile of rubble after the demolition of the Wall. In 1991, the area was reborn as the largest building site in Europe. It is this Potsdamer Platz that Boltz-Wilson has captured in her artwork.

Some of Boltz-Wilson's prints are obvious images of the construction. Skewed skyscrapers jut out of the canvas. If you look closely enough, you can almost feel the city coming alive in these prints, along with the hope of a new era. Large mechanical cranes assist in the buildings on her canvas and dust covers the perimeter.

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Paintings by Ayed Fadel

Saturday night, Art Attack swung by the inaugural viewing of new art presenters S&T Art Design Studio's first showcase. S&T Art Design is comprised of the husband-and-wife team of Terrence and Susan Boggs. You may recognize the names from their previous showings at the (seemingly defunct) Elder Street Gallery. S&T chose for their new location a space situated in the Sawyer Heights Lofts. Yes, those lofts, by Target in the Heights. If you are like us and have always wondered if anyone actually did anything there, now you know.

The space itself, if you can imagine, seemed to be the lofts' communal area. Bookshelves lined the walls and a computer/business center was situated in the far corner; attempts were made at hiding the area with artwork. The room was lovely and spacious and one would assume that it is only open during private or reserved events.

Artwork by David Cagney

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A year ago this month, prolific Houston painter Dick Wray passed away of complications due to liver illness. To honor the man who was known as one of the founders of the Houston art scene, the William Reaves Gallery is showcasing select works in its current exhibition, Explosive Color/Dynamic Paint. The exhibition opened this past weekend and will run through February 4.

In addition to the show, the gallery has produced a full-color catalog with four essays written by Wray's friends, colleagues and contemporaries. They all describe the artist in a very similar light: He was a big man with a big personality, a character, to say the least. Wray was born in 1933 in the Houston Heights and studied at the University of Houston's School of Architecture. Wray is described as having a life-changing trip to Europe in the late 1950s that would influence his painting style going forward. Aside from his time in the war and a few other travels, Wray lived and worked as an artist in Houston until he died last year.

He is the epitome of a "Texas artist," despite hating the title, as described by friend and assistant professor at the Allbritton Art Institute Katie R. Edwards. Edwards goes on to say that Wray was "resentful" at being thrown into the Texas art category as he saw himself as more of a loner, working in solitude with his art. If there were a category Wray could be placed into, it would be the abstract expressionism movement.

Friend and art collector Earl Weed describes the first time he saw Wray's paintings and found them irksome, "messy explosions" with no apparent rhyme or reason. Upon my initial examination of the work, I could understand this reaction, although do not agree with it. I had seen Wray's art before, but never live and in person, so I was excited for this weekend's preview. Upon walking into the William Reaves Gallery, I was awestruck. Online jpgs do this man no justice.

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